NICE REBOUND

Nebraskan wins tourney after missing qualification at previous contest by one stroke

Nebraskan wins tourney after missing qualification at previous contest by one stroke

July 27, 2009|BY DEB SMITH, dsmith@aberdeennews.com

A week that began in disappointment for a Nebraska professional golfer ended in celebration. A.J. Elgert of Lincoln, Neb., missed a two-foot putt on the last hole of a qualifier for the Omaha Cox Classic tournament last weekend. He failed to qualify by one stroke. So, he headed north to the 18th annual Western Printing Pro-Am at Moccasin Creek Country Club in Aberdeen. On Sunday, he finished the three-round Aberdeen tournament with a 202 for first place. Elgert, 27, collected $15,000 for his effort. “It's nice to come here and to rebound from a near-miss in Omaha and play well and to win,” said Elgert. “These guys are great players. I respect them and they respect me. It's very mutual. I don't take great gratification in beating them other than I like to have my name on top.” Elgert topped the leaderboard from the start of the tourney to the finish. He was in a three-way tie after Friday's opening round and held a one-stroke lead over Tim Ailes of Louis Center, Ohio, after the second round. He pointed to early birdies on Sunday as important factors as he played in a threesome along with Ailes and Jason Swihart of Jackson, Mich. “The pivotal thing for me was to match the birdies right away. It was a torrid pace. Tim made birdie on the very first hole and my lead was gone. We all birdied two and I birdied three. I was keeping my distance and I was doing it by execution,” said Elgert. Hole number six proved key in his win. Once again Elgert made birdie. Swihart missed an eagle putt and Ailes needed three putts. The birdies started to stack up for the leader. Elgert had back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12. “Now, the biggest part for me was to keep the pedal down,” said the fifth-year pro. “I wanted to keep pushing it and not to back off and protect, but to keep creating space.” Fortunately, Elgert held a four-shot lead on hole number 18. “I hit an absolutely perfect drive,” he said. “I had what I thought was a perfect hybrid going into the green. I wasn't going to lay up. I 'overcooked' it and hit it left. It ricochetted off a golf cart and went under an evergreen tree.” He had to chip out sideways from under the tree and use another stroke to chip on the green. “I knew all I had to do was not get completely careless,” said Elgert. “It was important to continue to try to score. I wanted to maintain that lead as much as possible. I tried to not get caught up in all the fine details. It's about getting it done.” Elgert's total of 202 was three shots ahead of Ryan Devlin of Calgary, Alberta, in second. Will Elgert return next year to defend his title? He pointed to a television set in the clubhouse that was tuned to the Golf Channel. “I'd really like to be there (PGA) next year, but if I'm not, I'll come back.” Final winners After Sunday's play, the leaders were as follows.